June 2003

Our representatives in Columbus are
poised to increase our sales tax by 20%, hiking the rate
from 5% to 6%. This will be in addition to the various
county rates that we endure. Therefore, our sales tax burden
will soon be 7% in Hamilton, Clermont, and Warren Counties.
They will be taking this additional money from us to boost
spending by 11%. Extrapolating the data from the Beacon Hill
Institute for Public Policy Research, this tax hike will
cost Ohio over 100,000 jobs.

And if that’s not bad enough, our
representatives in Washington want to enact a so-called
child income tax credit for people who do not pay income
taxes. Why don’t they be honest and simply call the bill
“The Welfare Expansion Act of 2003”?

If I wanted higher taxes, bigger
government, and transfers of wealth, I would have voted for
Democrats. So I’ll ask the question again: Why did I vote
Republican?

The Enquirer
editorial staff got it wrong in the June 17 edition:
“Child tax credits; Just do it; But don’t call it a tax
cut.” They stated that “…giving money back to
most of America, but not giving any to the working poor …
is a bad idea, both morally and politically.”

A bad idea
morally?

Fortunately,
the editorial staff understands that you can’t give tax
credits to people who don’t pay taxes. They are therefore
endorsing a welfare payment.

Does the
editorial staff understand that tax rebates are a return of
taxpayer’s money to the people who paid them? And welfare
payments can only result from the forcible confiscation of
other people’s money?

How is it
moral to forcibly take money from those who earned it and
give it to those who did not? The government should use tax
credits to encourage us to contribute more to United Way,
the Red Cross and other organizations that can give the poor
the help that they need.